Fashion and Frivolity

America’s Next Top Model, step back.

Our fashion-forward friends in Surat can give you a run for your money!

The festival of Ganapati (described by other teachers below), which figures twin statues of the god Ganesha being tossed into bodies of water across the country, is precluded by ten evenings of events and excitement. Along with daily offerings of puja to the beneficent elephants, residential communities come together each night to host fun activities where neighbors compete against each other to show off their talents and win prizes.

Though there were no Ganesha statues in our own residential complex (too expensive, not enough residents, etc.) we were invited to the final event being hosted in one of our fellow teacher’s neighborhoods, a twenty-minute rickshaw ride away. Reema Ma’am is not only a great companion at school, she is also a fantastic hostess, and had volunteered to put together the fashion show competition at her residence.

We arrived at 9:00 while everyone slowly and leisurely gathered together, having snacks and drinks and adding final touches to their outfits. Upon our arrival, Pamela and I were surprised to discover that Reema Ma’am had appointed us as the judges for the competition. At 10:30, when the event finally commenced, we were escorted to sit down… directly on the edge of the Ganapati shrine. Feeling underdressed against our backdrop of sparkles, we took our seats awkwardly, smiling at the audience that faced us (two foreigners in front of two brilliantly pink Ganeshas).



With a total of four different age groups competing, the participants numbered near about thirty. Many seemed to have selected their own musical track which blared out of giant speakers, turned on by a radio DJ sitting right up against the statues, and each was to take a total of two turns around an open floor downstairs, moving first toward the judges (us) and then back around to the audience. We gave scores across three categories: Walk (including confidence and pacing), Dress, and Style (different from dress because it includes embellishments such as turns and creative poses).

From the 5 year old beauties tottering along with their mothers, to the strutting gray-haired grandmother hamming it up for the crowd, we kept breaking our serious judges faces with laughter for the entire competition. Some of the more ambitious participants would fix me with a steely, confident look as they pranced my way only to stop at an abrupt angle and look at me from under dark lashes, red lips pursed, and blow a kiss our direction. A few had stunning charisma (Pamela and I both singled out a blooming Miss India) and great energy. A couple ringed solid 10s from both of us, and one brightly-dressed young girl carried a bouquet with her and, upon reaching the “judges stand,” extravagantly extracted a flower each for me and Pamela before twirling away across the stage. She may have only scored a 9 for her walk but she broke the record with an 11 from me for style.



By this point, we’ve been called on to help judge a number of competitions at Khatiwala, but this fashion show broke my expectations—it was incredibly fun. I’ve always felt that India is the best-dressed country I’ve so far encountered, and so much of everyone’s income seems to be invested in the pursuit of gold, jewels, and beauty… and let me tell you, the fashion show didn’t disappoint. These people are gorgeous and they know it.

Namaste,
Dalena